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McCutchen named NL Player of the Week

McCutchen named NL Player of the Week

Andrew McCutchen talks about being named NL Player of the Week for the second consecutive week

By Andrew Simon
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Special to MLB.com |

Appearances at the State Farm Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game did nothing to break Andrew McCutchen's momentum.

The Pirates' center fielder was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday, earning the award for the second week in a row. In the three games following the All-Star break, the 25-year-old hit .583 (7-for-12), tied for the Major League lead with three home runs and topped all competitors with a 1.333 slugging percentage.

McCutchen racked up a .517 batting average, three home runs and nine RBIs in capturing the previous week's honor. He is the first Pirates player to snag a pair of weekly awards in the same season since Jason Bay accomplished the feat on consecutive weeks in May 2006.

The Pirates lost two of three games to the Brewers in the shortened week, but McCutchen more than did his part. He went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in both of his team's defeats and also smacked a two-run shot in Saturday's win.

For the season, McCutchen leads the Majors with a .371 batting average and a .651 slugging percentage. He has notched a 1.074 OPS, 21 homers and 64 RBIs, and is hitting .480 in his last 24 games.

McCutchen is the second NL player this season to win the award two weeks in a row. He joins the Dodgers' Matt Kemp, who did it in April.

Andrew Simon is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.